2 Days to LFW: F&S speak to fashion insider Ana Sekularac

Ana Sekularac

What is your profession?
Fashion Designer.

Who are your clients?
Women of all ages, from all over the world, beautiful, strong and intelligent. Boutiques around the world and in particular Harrods who have been supporting my work since the very beginning.

What does LFW mean to you, your clients and how do you prepare for it?
LFW is like one big meeting place where everybody comes together twice a year, a playground for designers, press and buyers. I prepare my collection well in time, organise the presentation and then I can be relaxed and enjoy, that is the most important.  


What does your LFW schedule look like?
In the run up to LFW I am busy with preparations for the presentation of my new Spring Summer 2011 collection. We just finished shooting the movie ‘The Journey’ and we will be holding a a film screening on Friday 17 SEP 2010. After that it is all about meetings with the press and buyers,which is actually always lovely.

What is your favourite moment in a LFW day?
The presentation of my new collection, meeting everybody and my coffee break

And trend wise what are you looking out for during LFW S/S 11 ?
Shades of White.

3 Days to LFW: F&S speak to fashion insider Efi

Efi Davies

What is your profession?
I am an International Artistic Director for TONI&GUY.

Who are your clients?
They really vary, from the creative world of ‘Fashion’, to my regular and loyal clientele in our Covent Garden salon.  


What does LFW mean to you, your clients and how do you prepare for it?
I get very inspired working alongside amazing and talented people that produce creative images and I am honoured to be part of it. My clients really appreciate my understanding of future trends and the preparation that goes into it.

Efi backstage at the Giles Paris Fashion Show

What does your LFW schedule look like?
Hectic as always, I just arrived back from New York Fashion Week and I am straight back into hair tests for other designers. I start with a pre fashion week show on Thursday for Triumph and then roughly two shows a day until next Wednesday, then a shoot on the Friday – wish me luck!

What is your favourite moment in a LFW day?
Show time! When I watch the models coming down the catwalk. Oh and of course the after parties, you definitely deserve and need a drink at the end of the day.

And trend wise what are you looking out for during LFW S/S 11 ?
Playful textures, clean shapes with a kind of distraught feel about them.

4 Days to LFW: F&S speak to fashion insider Jodie Ball

What is your profession?
I am the Fashion Editor here at trend-forecasting company WGSN. I'm responsible for writing daily collection reviews from the big four fashion weeks in New York, London, Milan and Paris. Post-fashion week, I work on our close-to-season trend analysis, covering apparel and accessories. I work on the city-specific trend reports, colour and fabric directions, and key item analysis.  

Who are your clients?
Our clients range from high fashion big-wigs such as Giorgio Armani and Calvin Klein, to high street brands such as Topshop and Gap. But even non-fashion powerhouses such as Nokia and Sony Ericsson subscribe to our trends service. What colour will YOUR next mobile phone be? It seems everyone needs WGSN in their life.  

What does LFW mean to you and how do your prepare for it?
Well, my job centres on covering the big four international fashion weeks and I travel to Milan and Paris each season. London Fashion Week is like a pre-cursor! It's easier to manage LFW because it's on home turf and I can get from one side of the city to the other in the blink of an eye (and the screech of a black cab) which really helps when the show schedule is super jam-packed. You can't prepare yourself mentally for the strain of fashion week - there's no Nintendo brain training for trying to remember which velvet shirt you saw at which show on which day! The only preparation I do these days is work out my wardrobe.  

5 Days to LFW: F&S speak to fashion insider Courtney Blackman

Courtney Blackman MD Forward PR & Co-Founder of FBC

What is your profession?
Well, first and foremost I am the founder & managing director of Forward PR, I’m the co-founder & co-chair of Fashion Business Club & executive producer of FBCtv, and I sit on the board of the Ethical Fashion Forum.


Who are your clients?
Forward PR looks after a varied gamut of fashion clients that range from ongoing long-term monthly clients to short-term project based ventures: -Art of Being by Elizabeth Emanuel – iconic British designer to Princess Diana returning to London Fashion Week with a Little Black Dress collection. - Beautiful Soul – upcyclers of vintage kimonos into multi-functional dresses, skirts, tops and outerwear. Sold at the V&A. -Drapers Fashion Summit 2010 – two-day event providing comprehensive and exclusive insight from top industry leaders within fashion. FASHION.MUSIC.STYLE – London-based, globally distributed fashion and indie music magazine. - Prophetik – sustainable men’s and womenswear label from Tennessee, designed by Jeff Garner. - Magenta 8 – specialise in coats, capes, jackets, boleros in baby alpaca. Rebekah Roy – renowned fashion and celebrity stylist working across fashion, music, editorial and television. - Sapphires Model Management – ethically focused and award-winning model agency based in Soho. - S.C. Vizcarra – 85-year-old luxury, hand-woven handbag label managed and designed by London- based Rita Nazareno. - WGSN Global Fashion Awards - the first awards to recognise innovation in fashion across all disciplines from around the world.

6 Days to LFW: F&S speak to In-House fashion insider Jojo Provatidou

What is your profession? 

Foremost, I am the Co-Founder and Managing Director of Fox&Squirrel. Besides the everyday running of the company I am responsible for our personal styling sessions and alongside fashion photographers Venetia Alkema and Lefteris Pr I produce Fox&Squirrel's fashion reports. I am also the Events' Manager of Schon! Magazine here in London and contributing assistant stylist for >bmm Magazine in Milan.

Who are your clients? 

My clients at Fox&Squirrel vary from young creatives that come to London to study or for leisure to fashion conscious professionals that need to catch up with the latest trends and don't have the time, the patience or the means to do so by themselves. It is a great process as I get to meet so many interesting individuals, and because London is forever evolving I keep on discovering so many new places. 

7 Days to LFW: F&S speak to fashion insider Choolips

What is your profession? 
Designer & Founder @Choolips 


Who are your clients? 
asos.com and boutiques 


What does LFW mean to you and how do your prepare for it? 
In terms of seeing shows I select which ones I would like to attend, but in the end its all about having a bit of spontaneity to it too. As far as Choolips is concerned everything is prepared months before so I guess LFW is the time to have a bit of fun while working. 


What does your LFW schedule look like? 
We will be opening Choolips' Showroom. Much looking forward to that! Otherwise I will be attending the YCFE - Young Creative Fashion Entrepreneur of the Year/British Council awards ceremony, Esthetica and few select shows as time is tight. 


What is your favourite moment in a LFW day? 
When I discover pieces where I can see that the designer has worn his heart at his sleeve, pieces that really speak a truth. 


And trend- wise what are you looking out for during LFW S/S 11? 
I will keep my eyes out for surprises and for hints of something that gives a future glimmer amongst the audiences as much as the shows.

8 Days to LFW: F&S speak to fashion insider Leila

What is your profession?

I'm the Fashion Editor for Who's Jack magazine.


Who are your readers?
We have a great relationship with our readers, typically 18 to 30 year old creative professionals, interested in all aspects of fashion, music, art and life. I generally cater for readers with a high street budget but with a strong interest in trends and designer fashion, which is a great challenge for me to unearth quality style for budget prices.

9 Days to LFW: F&S speak to fashion insider Ioannis Dimitrousis

What is your profession?
Foremost I am a Fashion designer/ Creative director for ioannisdimitrousis, but I am also a stylist for several magazines and I do some fashion consultancy as well.

A dedication to Knitwear

With knitwear set to grace boulevards, avenues and streets Fox&Squirrel hunted down Alex Feechan, designer for the 'about-to-launch' knitwear brand Clan Douglas Cashmere Studio. We leave you with the interview. To accompany Alex's answers Jojo, Fox&Squirrel's in-house stylist, has selected images of her favourite Clan Douglas designs.